Motor vehicles are known wherein the roof of the passenger compartment is defined by a convertible top. In some solutions the top can be collected and folded in a housing space or in a boot behind the passenger compartment. In other solutions, the top is completely removable.
In sport type motor vehicles which can reach relatively high cruising speed, there exists the problem of ensuring of an effective seal along the edges of the top, in particular along the front edge.
GE936485A describes a solution which corresponds to the preamble of claim 1 and which provides a sealing gasket supported by the front transverse edge of the top and resting against a crosspiece, arranged along the upper edge of the windscreen of the motor vehicle. In GB936485A, the top is coupled to the crosspiece by means of a locking device with lever actuation. When the top is locked, the sealing gasket is compressed against the crosspiece.
The known solutions of the type just described do not fully meet the requirement of ensuring a good aero-acoustic performance in case the top is provided with a soft cloth and is completely removable. For said applications, in fact, at high speeds, there is a proven risk of having high noise in the passenger compartment, due to air leakage between the front edge of the cloth and the sealing gasket.
Moreover, the locking device illustrated in GE936485A is relatively complex, since it has a relatively high number of components. In addition, there is the risk that said device does not meet the aesthetic-quality requirements necessary for all components on full display in the passenger compartment.